5. STS-93 Launch
Flaming exhaust spews from beneath one of the two solid rocket boosters on Space Shuttle Columbia as it roars into the night sky on mission STS-93. After two unsuccessful attempts on previous nights, liftoff occurred at 12:31 a.m. EDT.(Photo: NASA)

7. STS-93 Launch
In a burst of light and flames, Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from Launch Pad 39-B at 12:31 a.m. EDT. STS-93 is a five-day mission primarily to release the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which will allow scientists from around the world to study some of the most distant, powerful and dynamic objects in the universe. The crew numbers five: Commander Eileen M. Collins, Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby, and Mission Specialists Stephen A. Hawley (Ph.D.), Catherine G. Coleman (Ph.D.) and Michel Tognini of France, with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Collins is the first woman to serve as commander of a Shuttle mission.(Photo: NASA)